Control for draft regulators



July 31,1934. Q H MORRQW V I 1,968,652

CONTROL FOR DRAFT REGULATORS Filed Aug. 15, 1933 VEN TOR CLAPE/Vd'" ff. Mo/m'aw TTORN Y5.

Patented July 31, 1934 7.: I

T 'UNI'T DfSTTATES PATENT OFFICE" signor .to The Hotstream Heater Company, Cleveland, hio,. a corporation of Ohio f Applicati n August 15, ieeafserial No. 685,235

iClaims. (oi. eta-45) This invention relates to means for temporariand a shutter 2 adapted to close the opening ly c1osing, as manually, otherwise automatic thereof. draft control dampers. .In such a draftregula- The base 1, preferably a casting as indicated, tor the shutter has associated weights whereby is adapted to fit within the mouth at the end of its opening and closing draft-controlling adjustthe pipe through whichflow is to be controlled, 60 ment is automatic andwith predetermined-char- The shutter 2, which may preferably be of acteristics; and such automatic action is, the sheet metal as indicatedsuitably reinforced as usualone of the damper. A damper of the class, by a chordal rib 3 on one side and a diametric' to which reference is had, is illustrated and derib 4 on the other side and disposed at right scribed in my. copending application, Serial No. angles to the rib 3, is mounted for free swinging 65 653,393, filed February 24, 1933; movement about a non-diametric chordal axis in Under. certain; temporary conditions, such as the plane of the base, in one direction from said during a firing period, it -is necessary that the plane. The axis of swing as'indicated by the line shutter be closed; and as the regulator is not usu- AA, Fig. l, is non-diametric and preferably adl5 ally located forconvenient direct adjusting acjacent the rib 3, and further details of the exact 70 cess,-it is desirable to attacha' line leading from arrangement by which the shutter is mounted the shutter to, aiposition to be grasped by the are immaterial here, many arrangements for the operator who may thus close the shutter by pullpurpose being well known to those familiar with ing upon the line. i q the art. I

An arrangement for the purpose is illustrated The shutter thus has a long side B and a short 75 and described in my copending application, Seside C extending from the axis A-A. That the rial No. 664,793, filed October 6, 1933. Such arlong side B may swing inwardly only, from the rangement is suitable for large regulators but is plane of the base 1, while the short side C may too expensive to be successfully applied to the swing outwardly onlyitherefrom, the base is pro- .25' smaller. sizes. a r vided with a flange 5 overlyingtheside B and a 80 .The objects of the present invention are to prosuitable flange underlying the side C. vide means for auxiliary manual shutter control, The shutter is preferably weighted as by a in an otherwise-automatic damper by simplified weight 6 mounted upon its back foradjustment and inexpensive means suitable for smaller sizes along a'rod 7, and otherwise forming no part of of regulators. i this invention, to givethe predetermined open- 85 Such regulators are usually adapted for in ing and closing characterics, provided the axis stallation .in either of two positions dependent A-Ahave the proper slope. That this slope may uponzthe direction of flow inthe flue to be served, be accurately attained when mounting the device, the difference in positions beingxcharacterized by the front face of base 1 is provided with indexing opposite directions of slope of the shutter axis. indicia as indicated at Fig. 1. As appears from 9 A furtlier object of this invention is to provide thes i d ia, th a tw p t s in wh h th that the described manual adjustment may be s ay be p u dproper p s n being had regardless of the position in which the regct dependent upon the direction of d in ulator isi'nstall'ed, so that a single stock form of the-installatmn- 40 u at with the manual c n means, may 'Whathas thus far been described is not new 95 serve in any installation of proper sizeregard 1n the and W111 be t -q when less of direction of new I 1 properly mounted and ad usted in either of the T exact nature of this-invention together twoupositions and .under the usual conditions, the shutter will float in partly opened positions autog g:' 11253? g gfi sf gg gggg a g f g matically adjusting itself to provide the proper 0 pp g smjlp Ion en flow through the pipe to the end of which it is in connection with the accompanying drawlng, attached in which Fig. l is a front elevation of a draft reg- According this invention I provide means f Plator emgodymg the mYentloni the shtltter manually closing the shutter when desired. .1ng shown as closed sub ect to automatic opera- The principal parts of t Structure for t tion; a d Figs. 2 and 3 are elflmged Sectional purpose, are an actuator line, guide means theretails taken as at lines 22 and 3-3 respectively, for and spring means interassociating the line Flg. 1. and guide means as will appear.

With reference now to the drawing, the princi- The guide means comprises as its principal part pal parts of the damper are an annular base 1. a tubular guide post 8 having one end rigidly se- 1 5 cured with the base 1 as by set screw 9, preferably at a point on the base most removed from the shutter axis A-A, the base having a suitable integral bracket 10 with an opening 11 therein forming a continuation of the opening in the tubular member 8 when the latter is mounted. The arrangement is such that the post 8 extends from the bracket 10, over the shutter face B toward the shutter axis A-A terminating, however, somewhat short of the axis, as indicated Fig. 1. The inner end of the guide post is flared outwardly'as at 12 and the opposite end of the opening 11 is chamfered as at 13 so that the guide means described provides a straight through opening having substantially smooth walls throughout, and without sharp edges at the ends.

The actuator line is here shown as a chain 14 of the type whereof each unit has swivel relation with adjacent units, a device preferable because free from twist. However, any freely flexible equivalent such as a light cable or cord might be equally serviceable in some installations. One end of the line 14 is secured to the shutter 2, at a point on the long side B of the latter, opposite the inner extremity 12 of the guide post. Such connection is indicated at 15. The line leads from its connection 15 through the guide means and thence downwardly as at 14a, to a position to be grasped by the operator, where it obviously may be provided with a suitable handle 17.

That the shutter when it is to have automatic operation, may not be unbalanced by the Weight of the stretch 14a, which may have considerable length and consequent weight, spring means 18 are provided for yieldably maintaining a bight 14b in the line, effective between the shutter and its guide means. The spring means 18 is a helical wire tension spring arranged within the guide post 8, and about the line 14 extending therethrough. One end of the spring 18 is, secured with the line 14 as at 19, intermediate the ends of the guide post, when the parts are positioned as in Fig. l.

- secured to the guide post 8 adjacent the inner extremity of the latter as at 20.

The proportion and arrangement of the parts is such that unless the line be pulled as by the handle 17, the line parts will be positioned generally as in Fig. 1 with a bight 14b adjacent the shutter 2 so that the latter is free to move with automatic operation substantially unaffected by the manually operable parts. Of course, as the shutter moves automatically the bight 142) will be stretched somewhat as the distance between its ends is increased. When, however, it is desired to close the damper, a pull upon the line as by the handle 1'? will take up the slack at 14b, against the action of the spring 18, pulling the shutter closed because of the connection of the line therewith at 15.

What I claim is:

1. In an automatic damper of the class described and having an annular base adapted to The opposite end of the spring 18 is be secured to the pipe through which flow is to be controlled, and a shutter mounted in said base for free swinging movement about a chordal axis, a tubular guide post secured on said base on the long side from the shutter axis, and extending inwardly from said base toward the shutter axis, a line having connection with said shutter opposite the inner end of said guide post and leading from the shutter through said guide post and to a position to be grasped by the operator to provide manual closing of the shutter, and means for yieldably maintaining said line slack between said shutter and said guide post to permit automatic adjustment of said shutter.

2. In an automatic damper of the class described and having an annular base adapted to be secured to the pipe through which flow is to be controlled, and a shutter mounted in said base for free swinging movement from the plane thereof, a tubular guide post secured on said base remotely from the shutter axis, and extending inwardly from said base, a line having connection with said shutter opposite the inner end of said guide post and leading from the shutter through said guide post and to a position to be grasped by the operator, and spring means arranged within said guide post to yieldably maintain a slackness of said line between said shutter and said guide post.

3. In an automatic damper of the class de scribed and having an annular base adapted to be secured to the pipe through which flow is to be controlled, and a shutter mounted in said base for free swinging movement from the plane thereof, a tubular guide post secured on said base remotely from the shutter axis, and extending inwardly from said base, a line having connection with said shutter opposite the inner end of said guide post and leading from the shutter through said guide post and to a position to be grasped by the operator, and spring means arranged within said guide post to yieldably maintain a slackness of said line between said shutter and said guide post, said spring means being disposed about said line and having one end connected thereto within the guide post and its other end connected with the guide post adjacent the inner end of the latter.

4. In an automatic damper of the class described and having an annular base adapted to be secured to the pipe through which flow is to be controlled, and a shutter mounted in said base for free swinging movement about a chordal axis, a tubular guide post secured on said base at a point most removed from said axis and extending inwardly from said base in a plane to which said axis. is perpendicular, a line having connection with said shutter opposite the inner end of said guide post and leading from the shutter through said guide post and to a position to be grasped by the operator, and means for yieldably maintaining a slack in said line between said shutter and said guide post.

CLARENCE H. MORROW. 

